


All We Ever Wanted

by grahamhannah53



Series: Shinobi Blood Is Red, Shinobi Tears Are Blue [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: A little angst?, BAMF Haruno Sakura, BAMF Hyuuga Hinata, BAMF Tenten (Naruto), BAMF Yamanaka Ino, Best Friends, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Shenanigans, F/M, Girl Power, Happy Ending, Hey Violet - Freeform, Ino is the best friend ever, Kakashi and Iruka are having bachelor parties on the same night in the same club by accident, Oral Sex, Smut, Songfic, Vaginal Sex, all we ever wanted, girls night, incompetent shinobi, neji is alive and you cant take that from me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-12 15:41:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21478795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grahamhannah53/pseuds/grahamhannah53
Summary: Sakura, Tenten, Hinata, and Ino are in serious need of a girls' night for various reasons-- Sakura has just experienced a breakup, Tenten is sexually frustrated, Hinata is ready to take life into her own hands, and Ino... well, Ino just likes to party, and if she can help her best friends while she does it, that makes it ten times more fun. This is a story of bad-ass kunoichi who are learning to take what they want and run with it... and if what they want is their male counterparts, then that's nobody's business but theirs.____________________________________________________This work is part of a series I'm writing called Shinobi Blood Is Red, Shinobi Tears Are Blue. For those of you who know colors, red and blue make purple, which is another word for violet. SO, to connect the dots, each of these fics will be based off of a Hey Violet song. If you will check the title, you'll see this one was based on the song "All We Ever Wanted" by Hey Violet.***For context on Sakura's breakup, you can check out the previous work, "This Is Me Breaking Up With You"***
Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Sai, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Hyuuga Hinata/Uzumaki Naruto, Hyuuga Neji/Tenten, Inuzuka Kiba/Yamanaka Ino
Series: Shinobi Blood Is Red, Shinobi Tears Are Blue [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1543393
Comments: 24
Kudos: 126





	1. Chapter 1

** _“Four girls hop into the RAV4_ **

** _Yeah we're just young and we're bored_ **

** _Our boyfriends hotter than yours_ **

** _Just dyed my hair but cut it short_ **

** _We got no money left, but we're not going home yet_ **

** _We're all emotional wrecks, but it don't matter ‘cause…”_ **

  
  


It was kind of a weird day.

Sakura had dumped Sasuke and Tenten was sexually frustrated from training day in and day out with two obscenely strong men and one obscenely sexy— if snobbish— warrior genius. Ino herself had gone  _ way  _ too long without getting laid, and Hinata was sick to death of being single (and was suddenly willing to be a little slutty for once). It was a strange thing that all four of them were out of sorts at one time— usually, there was at least one emotionally competent person among them all at any given point. Strange though it may have been, it was a situation that must be responded to with focus and efficiency, in the shinobi way. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Ino was ready to make a decision.

"Tonight," Ino announced to them at their weekly brunch, "We are going to get fucking  _ wasted _ ."

Of course, there was an ensuing argument over this assertion.

"Ino, we can't just drop everything and go buck wild!" This rebuke came from Tenten, who was still sweaty from early morning training.

The next objection was, of course, from Forehead. “Some of us have  _ real _ jobs, Ino-pig,” huffed Sakura as she folded her arms smugly. 

Hinata, in her characteristically soft tone, was the only one to take Ino's side. "I don't know, it's been a really long time since we've all been out together, and all of us are here. We're Konoha's finest kunoichi— it's only right that we kick it as hard as the boys do on a Friday night."

At that, the other two girls paused, considering, and Ino knew that she'd won them over before they'd even said a word. 

"Well, Hinata, I guess you're right," Tenten replied, chewing on a nail. "We really haven't been out together in a while, and I can do weapon inventory another day."

"And I can probably strong-arm someone into taking my shift at the hospital tonight," Sakura admitted, and Ino could see the gears spinning in her best friend's head. "Hell, I probably need to get good and drunk. Nothing like a hangover to aid and abet a kitchen floor reset."

The other three girls nodded sagely. Kitchen floor resets were a sacred ritual, if not a fully acknowledged one, and were completely vital to dealing with emotions as a kunoichi. Any and all of Konoha's female ninja were, at any given time, surrounded by at least two other emotionally repressed male shinobi that projected their issues onto other people— there was no other way to survive the massive amounts of bullshit they were put through on a daily basis other than an occasional cleansing ritual. Usually, a kitchen floor reset involved crying on the kitchen floor (hence the name), feeling miserable and sorry for existing, cursing the world, and then passing out (usually also on the kitchen floor) to wake up and feel better. They were extremely useful after a hard mission, a stressful life event, or, in Sakura's case, a nasty breakup. 

"It's settled then," Ino smirked. "Ladies, make your arrangements, we're meeting at my place in an hour. Be prepared to do some wild shit."

"Ino, it's ten-thirty in the morning, what are we going to do at your place until it's night?" Tenten laughed, mistaking Ino's strategic plan for her typical Yamanaka habit of overenthusiasm. 

"It'll take all day to do makeovers, get our hair dyed, our nails done,  _ and  _ do our makeup."

Sakura snorted, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "She's finally gone off the deep end, guys," the walking forehead taunted, tossing her hair. "Ino-pig has officially lost her mind."

"You know, I'm of the opinion that crazy equals genius, in some cases," Ino retorted hotly, but Sakura only sniffed and walked away. No matter— Ino knew that in an hour, the medi-nin would be on her doorstep. 

"What about the rest of you? Are you in or are you in?"

"In," Tenten and Hinata replied in unison, and Ino's smile was positively feral. 

"See you in an hour, then."

***

An hour later, Ino was knee-deep in clothes, throwing spectacular pieces at her girls. 

"Uhm, Ino, are you sure about this?" Hinata asked, eyeing herself in the mirror skeptically. Ino had given her a black, fitted, off-the-shoulder long-sleeved shirt, high waisted jean shorts, and strappy, knee-length sandals to try on, and she looked devastatingly beautiful. It wasn't revealing or suggestive in the tiniest bit, but instead was smooth, sleek, and subtle. This was done purposefully to accentuate Hinata's God-given beauty— anything flashy or distracting could keep someone from noticing how those lovely lilac eyes reflected the light  _ just so _ , or the porcelain quality of the Hyūga's skin as it stretched across perfectly symmetrical bone structure. 

"I have never been more sure about anything in my life," Ino replied, not bothering to look up from where she was digging. "Put on my amethyst choker and earrings, just to see how it looks."

Obediently, Hinata did so, and Ino had never been more proud of an outfit. 

"Great, that's perfect."

"You really think so?" Hinata asked, pulling at her shorts. "It's a little… different than what I'm used to."

Ino snorted. "Sakura's nose is bleeding, so it's safe to say you're looking pretty damn fine."

It was true— in fact, Sakura was so irritated that Ino had pointed it out that she threw Ino's bottle of hairspray at her with just-less-than lethal force. 

_ Thump. _

"OW!"

"Stupid Ino-pig," Sakura grumbled as she stalked out of the room to stuff toilet paper in her bleeding nose, and Ino cursed Sakura in much the same way as she rubbed her head, which was the intended target of the hairspray can. 

"Here, Tenten, put this on too," Ino huffed from the floor, flinging the red leather jacket she'd unearthed from the bottom of her closet. It paired nicely with the fitted black crop top and black leggings that had criss-crossed openings  _ all  _ the way up the sides. 

"Oooh, leather," giggled the weapons specialist.

For herself, Ino selected a party dress with a plunging neckline that looked scrunched and relaxed. It was simple, but bold— just the way Ino liked things to be. Now, there was only Sakura left. 

_ Hmm, what to do…  _

Sakura was a hard one to match. That bright pink hair was so hard to pair with anything that wasn't a fairly neutral color, and Ino was sick of the reds and pinks… but then she found  _ The Outfit.  _

It was a black mesh top, completely see-through, fitted and tucked into a pale pink skirt that was short and also fitted. Sure, it would be like Sakura was naked, but with the right black bra and some cute accessories, it was the  _ perfect  _ "I'm back in the game" outfit. 

"Oh Sakuraaaaa~" Ino sing-songed, standing from the floor. "You're going to  _ love  _ this."

Sakura did  _ not  _ love it. 

At first, she refused even to try it on. It took thirty minutes of screaming, hitting, and occasionally biting to even get Sakura in it. In the end, Ino had to resort to using jutsu to make it happen, but Sakura  _ did  _ put the outfit on, even if she still hated it. 

"Ino, I can't wear this, it's like I'm not wearing anything," she protested with real feeling, and Ino's callous heart softened a bit. "I don't have the body for it, there's  _ no way _ , I can't— can't—"

The pink-haired medic was close to tears. Ino wanted to throat-punch Sasuke for making this girl feel any less than gorgeous. All of her insecurities stemmed from him, and ever since they were children, his constant rejection, verbal abuse, and refusal to acknowledge Sakura even as a comrade had taken a toll on her. Even once they'd started a romantic relationship, it was never right— no matter how many times you have sex with someone, you can't fix the fact that you're a complete and utter  _ asshole  _ that doesn't say 'I love you' back every time or 'you're beautiful'  _ ever.  _ Just as Ino held her crying friend now, she'd held her before every time Sasuke had treated her as though she were disposable. 

No more. Tonight was the  _ end  _ of that bullshit. 

"Sakura, you look beautiful," Ino said, pulling Sakura to her. "Tell her, guys."

Tenten and Hinata were quick to agree. 

"You're the kind of pretty I wish I could be," Tenten admitted sheepishly. "I'm a bit of a tomboy, you know, and I'm not the kind that can pull off the 'spring flower' kind of beauty."

"You're really lovely, Sakura," Hinata added, tugging at her sleeves. "And you're confident. I envy that."

Sakura bawled even harder, but eventually was able to look at herself in the mirror without flinching away. Once Sakura had agreed to  _ try  _ to wear it, everyone changed back into regular clothes to turn Ino's bathroom into a beauty salon. In the hour that everyone had been making arrangements, Ino took the spending money that they pooled together for the night and bought box hair dye for everyone, as well as what they needed to do their nails. In short order, they were dyeing, cutting, and painting with such vigor that they could be compared to a tribe of warriors putting on war paint and readying for battle. 

Needless to say, Ino was having more fun than she'd had in months. 

By the time 5:00 rolled around, each of the girls were ready to put on their outfits and leave. They'd all gotten their hair styled by Ino, but Tenten and Ino actually went with a new cut— Ino cut her hair short again, and dyed the tips of her hair neon pink, and Tenten had Ino cut her hair to where it was  _ just  _ long enough to fit into her usual buns and dye her tips teal. In the same fashion, Sakura had opted to dye her tips a deep crimson, and Hinata went with a balayage filled with pale purples and blues. The points of their winged eyeliner were kunai-sharp, their eyelashes were long enough to make a little breeze with every blink, and there was glitter  _ everywhere—  _ the only thing missing was lipstick, which they had each decided to forgo since it would just get in the way later that night.

"Damn, we look good," Tenten smirked into the mirror, saying what everyone was thinking. 

"Let's go, Ino-pig, I'm impatient," Sakura squirmed, pulling at her skirt. "The sooner I get some drinks in me, the sooner I give less of a shit about what I'm wearing."

Ino couldn't argue with that— she was ready to be drunk enough not to care who she ended up beneath later. 

"Alright, my sexy sisters, let's go," Ino grinned. "Time to pour glitter and alcohol over all our emotional baggage and light that bitch up!"


	2. Chapter 2

** _"This party way too sketch, I'm way too underdressed_ **

** _He's kind of cute, I'm dead— Might be our best night yet_ **

** _Ain't got no money left, but we're not going home yet_ **

** _We're all emotional wrecks, but it don't matter cause… "_ **

  
  


Sakura was going to combust. 

Of course, because Ino insisted that they all get a full tummy before chugging liquor, they went to a rather nice restaurant on the rich end of the village, which made Sakura feel as though she looked like a cheap whore. When she voiced this concern to Ino, the blonde just shrugged and said that only wealthy whores could afford to eat at this venue, so she should shut up and be grateful that the whoring business was going well. Somehow, that didn't do much to boost the medi-nin's morale, and she sulked childishly even as she enjoyed her nice sushi off of a fancy plate. 

Eventually, after paying a ridiculously high price for their food, Ino dragged them to the most infamous shinobi club in the village— The Crooked Kunai. Sakura was almost relieved to pay the entrance fee, even though it left each of them with only about twenty dollars left out of the money they'd put in their budget for spending— at least now she wasn't underdressed and uncomfortable. 

"Gosh, we're so broke," Tenten groaned. "We should just go home now since we can't afford more than like, two drinks, if that."

"Not yet," Ino laughed, leaning heavily into Tenten's side. "This is a mission. We're young, dumb, and broke as hell, and we wanna get drunk and  _ fantastically  _ laid. What does that mean for this mission?"

"Subtlety, planning, and manipulation," Hitana supplied helpfully, and Sakura felt a little nauseous again. 

"Precisely. So, we each acquire a target— male, female, I don't care, as long as they're paying— charm them, get free drinks, and later exchange it for some hot-n-spicy time," Ino lectured, all business. "If any one of us is struggling, everyone pitches in and makes things easier. Got it?" 

Everyone nodded, and Sakura took a shaky breath. This  _ was  _ rather like a mission, now that she was thinking about it that way. It couldn't be that hard— normal people did it all the time. She was Haruno Sakura, for crying out loud— a world-renowned shinobi and ground-breaking medic! If anyone could do it, she could… 

Right? 

The second all the girls had settled down at their table— in the VIP section, since Hinata had called ahead and reserved, using the Hyūga name to get a significant discount— they noticed that the next table over was  _ full  _ of their male counterparts. Naruto, Kiba, Sai, and Neji were at a table with Kotetsu-san, Izumo-san, and Iruka-sensei, who was laughing at something Naruto said. Sensing other familiar chakra, Sakura looked across the club to see Choji, Shikamaru, Lee, and Shino were with Gai, Yamato, and Kakashi-sensei. 

_ Huh _ . 

That was weird. Kakashi and Iruka were always together. In fact, it was weird that all their students and friends were with them and they weren't with each other. Actually, they'd just gotten engaged, so there  _ really _ was no reason for them to be separate.

If the other girls noticed, they didn't say anything until the table of boys noticed them. 

"Oi, Sakura-chan!" Naruto called jovially once he'd spotted her. "What are you doing outside of the hospital? Don't you live there now?"

Before Iruka-sensei could chastise him, Sakura walked over and smacked him, lecturing him on the importance of work and making it clear that, every now and then, a kunoichi  _ must  _ go out on a girls' night. 

"Hey, that's kind of funny," Kiba interjected, glancing back at Sakura's table. "We're having a guys' night ourselves."

"Not  _ a  _ guys' night," Kotetsu corrected with a smirk. "We're having  _ the  _ guys' night. It's Iruka's bachelor party!"

"I'm here to learn," offered Sai, who was looking out of place as usual. "This is supposed to be the pinnacle of male bonding experiences."

Iruka-sensei blushed, and Neji leaned over to whisper something to Kiba, who in turn muttered to Naruto, who grinned and nodded. Sai seemed to have caught on to all of it, and he looked to Neji, who gave him an approving nod. 

"Ah, actually, Sakura-chan, if I may, I'd like to ask you girls a few questions," Sai coughed, scratching his head with a strained smile. "For, ah, research purposes."

_ Oh boy, this is going to be trouble,  _ Sakura observed, thinking back to Ino and Sai's breakup a while back. They'd ended on good terms, but Sai really did take socially inept to a whole other level. 

"Of course," Sakura agreed, and Sai looped an arm through hers as they retreated at a decidedly too-slow pace. 

"So, there is a problem, as I understand it," Sai told her, leaning down so that he could speak quietly. "Umino-san is having his bachelor's party tonight. So is Hatake-san. For reasons I don't entirely understand, he and Hatake-san aren't supposed to have their party at the same place, even though they're getting married… whatever the case, the two planning parties failed to communicate, so now we have a mission of sorts." 

Sakura smiled, understanding. "You want to keep each of them from discovering that the other is here."

Sai nodded with a genuine, grateful smile. 

As soon as they got to the table, Sakura leaned into the current conversation and gave the girls the gist of the plan that she had formulated in her head. Apparently, her plan sat well with everyone, if their mischievous expressions were anything to go by. 

"There's one boy per each of us," Ino mused, looking over the other table in thought. "We could all take shifts babysitting the bachelor  _ and  _ have some fun while we're at it."

"A truly symbiotic relationship," Sai nodded, and Sakura had to bite back a laugh. Sai was inept, yes, but definitely cute. 

"There  _ is  _ one condition, though," Ino smirked, crossing her arms. "Each one of you has to buy one of us drinks. Go back to your table, talk it over— but for the sake of all things holy,  _ please  _ be subtle— and if everyone agrees, we'll push our tables together and make this a night we'll never forget!"

Sai nodded, bowed his head ever so slightly, then returned to his table. After exchanging some subtle looks of helpless complaint and rummaging around in wallets, the boys must have reached a consensus, because Kiba loudly suggested that they push the tables together to make an even bigger party. Before long, the tables were joined, and Sakura found herself volunteering to fetch drinks for everyone with Sai. 

"Thank you for your help," Sai said as they walked, looking ahead instead of at Sakura. "You've been very kind. I would like to ask you a question, though, if I may."

"Of course, Sai, we're teammates," she replied, shooting him a dazzling smile that he didn't turn to see, which was troubling. 

"Sakura-chan, are you okay?"

The question hit her like a ton of bricks. 

"Wha-what do you mean?" she laughed nervously, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ears. 

"Well, I heard that you and the Uchiha traitor decided to part ways," Sai answered, still not looking at her. "After my own breakup, I wasn't sure how to feel. In the end, I think I just felt different, neither good nor bad, but I read that these breakup things can be traumatic in some cases. So, are you okay?"

Sakura thought for a moment, pausing in her walk to ponder the question. 

"I have hurt over Sasuke for many years, for many reasons," she finally replied, still searching for the best words to use. "I hurt now, I think, because I don't know what to do with myself now that I no longer have to hurt for him."

Sai nodded, processing.

As they ordered drinks for the table, Sai still would not look her way, and Sakura felt so antsy that she had to address it. 

"Sai, why won't you look at me?"

"Ah, that would be because you don't have any clothes on," he replied, a blush tinging his pale cheeks. "Ordinarily, you'd break the bones of any man who peeks at unclothed women, so I was trying to be respectful."

_ That's… actually sweet.  _

Sakura couldn't hold back her laughter. "Sai, you can look at me, I'm not naked."

"But Jiraiya-sama—"

"Jiraiya's peeking is different," Sakura interjected, loading her arms with drinks. "Do you know why?"

Sai shook his head, so she continued. 

"The difference is consent. I consented to wear this in public, where other people, even men, can see. The peeping that Jiraiya does involves no consent on the part of those he peeps in on."

Sai smiled, but this time the expression was tinged with sadness. "You know so much. I feel foolish."

"It's a learning process," she shrugged, turning to walk back towards their table. 

Sai thought for a moment, then turned bright red. With a small, nervous smile, he said, "Then… Sakura, would you dance with me?"

"Uhh… what?" Sakura wasn't entirely sure if she'd heard him correctly. After all, even if he had a dancer's figure and grace, Sai didn't exactly seem to be the type to throw down at a club. 

"I've been reading, and one book I read said that dancing has been a popular social activity that has encouraged bonding for centuries," he replied bravely, setting his armful of drinks down at their table. "And since you look so lovely tonight, I was wondering if you might want to. Dance, that is. With me."

The last bit was said within earshot of Ino, with whom Sakura shared a knowing glance. Sakura didn't want to overstep her boundaries— the Sai and Ino  _ had  _ dated, after all— but Ino gave her a wink and a nod, signaling her approval. Sakura winked back at her, and turned to Sai with a smile. 

"Sure." This time, Sai's smile was bright and genuine. "Lead the way."

This might just be a good night after all. 

"Hey, if Forehead is going to the dancefloor, so am I," Ino proclaimed, grabbing poor Hinata by the wrist. "Come on Hinata, let's dance!"

The poor Hyūga looked scared shitless, but didn't exactly have a choice as Ino all but dragged her out of her seat. Sai chuckled at Sakura's side, and echoed her thoughts. 

"That looks to be trouble," he said, and Sakura smiled. 

"The best kind," Sakura replied as Naruto and Kiba also decided to go dance. 

Yeah, Sakura got the feeling that this was going to be a night that none of them would ever forget. 

  
  


***

  
  


It was times like these that made Tenten wish she'd learned an earth jutsu that would open up the ground and swallow her whole. 

Everyone else had abandoned her, leaving her to sit with her former sensei and his friends— and her _obscenely _attractive teammate that she would very much like to boink in real life instead of in her dreams. She was dressed to the nines with her hair down and her boobs pushed up, and she had to wait until everyone else was done having their fun for a while until her night could get started. It was _unbelievably _frustrating on every possible level. 

"So, Tenten," Neji addressed her with those unreadable eyes. "Girls' night?"

"Yeah, we all just kind of needed an escape for a night," she replied, nervously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sakura just had that nasty breakup, you know, and Hinata wants to date sometime before she's thirty, so we all decided to pitch in and make tonight special."

_ I totally can't let him know I came here to get laid _ , she thought behind her smile. 

"So you, personally, had no ulterior motive for the night?"

_ What the hell does that even mean?  _

Tenten was way too sober for this conversation. She took several long swallows of her drink, then fixed Neji with an award-winning smile. 

"Of course I didn't," she lied, straight through her freshly-whitened teeth. "I just came for moral support."

Neji grunted, lowering his eyes to his own beer. "I see."

_ I sure hope not,  _ Tenten laughed to herself.  _ That would certainly be embarrassing.  _

No, Neji certainly did  _ not  _ see. Even the Byakugan, powerful though it may have been, couldn't read her thoughts— and if it could, Neji wouldn't be so composed, because at any given time, Tenten was most likely thinking about him. And never in the heart-eyed, dreamy crush sort of way— she was well past that. It was filthy thoughts of sweaty sex during training, or kneeling between his legs under the study desk in his room at the Hyūga compound, which was full of people who made the presence of the desk (and walls and everything else) completely useless. She wanted to be taken roughly by him in the Forest of Death and make love to him at some secret rendezvous— Tenten wanted that Icha Icha kind of love.

And Neji, it seemed, was just plain bored and wanted to go home. 

Well, either way, he was stuck paying for her drinks because of Ino's deal to assist their Keep-Iruka-And-Kakashi-Away-From-Each-Other mission, so she chugged the rest of her drink, slammed it down so hard the whole table flinched, and let out a laugh meant to terrify enemy nin. 

"Another!" she demanded, and even Iruka-sensei looked a tad frightened. 

Good. She didn't come here to fuck around. If she wasn't getting laid right off, then by God she was gonna get drunk off her ass and try her luck later, when the alcohol had time to take effect.

  
  


***

  
  


There had been many times that Hinata had felt real fear. As a kunoichi, she had encountered many situations that the smallest slip could mean the difference between life and death. She'd been punched, kicked, stabbed, and beaten to a pulp. She'd been burned and shocked and half-drowned and left to die, but all of those terrible circumstances paled in comparison to her current mortification. 

Ino was teaching her how to dance. Not in the nice, talk-through kind of way, oh no— in fact, Ino hadn't even told Hinata that she was teaching her  _ anything.  _ She just grabbed Hinata by the hips, pulled her back, and whispered "Follow my lead," in her ear. At first, Hinata had frozen, but under Ino's guiding hands, she began to figure out exactly what was going on and actually catch on a little. By the second song, Ino was laughing and playing the part of the guy a little  _ too  _ enthusiastically, prompting Hinata to up her game as well. 

Across the way, Hinata could see Kiba and Naruto getting their groove on, and her heart fluttered as Naruto's eyes met her own. 

_ He's so cute,  _ she thought as she backed it up in her friend.  _ I'm dead.  _

"Oi, Hinata, Ino," Kiba called over the din of the music, his face stretched into a wolfish grin. "That's just filthy!"

"Suck my dick, Kiba-kun!" Ino shot back, laughing like mad. Naruto wasn't saying anything, just staring at Hinata like this was the first time he'd ever seen her. Hinata knew she was bright red, but hopefully it just looked like she was hot and sweaty. 

"Whatever, Ino-chan, you're just mad because you can't get a man to dance with you," Kiba retorted, and Hinata realized suddenly that he was  _ flirting.  _ With  _ Ino  _ of all people. What a wild concept! And yet… 

"Men? Who needs them! I'd rather dance with a dog," Ino flirted back, leaning more into Hinata than before, as if to show off. 

Kiba laughed, loud and boisterous. "I'm an Inuzuka, does that count?" 

"I dunno," Ino replied, stepping away from Hinata to cross her arms in a challenging stance. "Wanna find out?"

"I think I'm tired of dancing," Naruto interjected suddenly. "You want a drink, Hinata-chan? I'm buying."

"Sure," she replied with a small smile. Out of the corner of her eye, Hinata could see Ino grinning from ear to ear, and the Hyūga wondered if this had been Ino's plan all along. 

"Let's go then," Naruto said, and grabbed Hinata by the hand so that he could lead her through the crowd. Hinata considered the possibility that there was some significance to the gesture, but she eventually shook away the thought with a toss of her hair. It was most likely just Naruto being himself, but it was nice to dream. 

Dream about kissing him, about clawing his back, about— 

"Say, Hinata, when did you learn to dance?" he asked as they walked up to the bar. "I've never seen you do anything like that."

"Oh, uh, well… Ino is just a good partner." It wasn't a lie, she just left out the part where Ino was doing most of the work. It was worth it, though, as Naruto's face lit up with a thousand-watt smile. 

"I'm not a big dancer myself, mostly because I don't know how," Naruto admitted after they'd given their orders to the bartender. "Maybe you could teach me sometime."

"Well, I— uhm, yeah, sure, I'd like that." 

_ What the hell did I just say that for?  _ Hinata scolded herself, trying to regulate her heartbeat.  _ I don't even know how to dance to start with, now I've agreed to teach  _ him _ how! This is a disaster, how am I going to—  _

"Awesome!" Naruto laughed, passing Hinata her drink from the bartender. "I don't learn well around people, though, so maybe we can go back to my place later?"

Hinata froze. Time stopped, and a thousand different images flashed through her head at once. Naruto without a shirt, grinding into her ass with a real, like  _ actual  _ dick; Naruto kissing her neck; Naruto admiring her as she snuggled into  _ his bed  _ on  _ his sheets _ . 

Her eyes rolled back in her head, and her knees went weak. Naruto caught her before she hit the ground, and somehow also kept her from spilling her drink. When she came back to an instant later, she felt fevered and sweaty, and her proximity to Naruto's blisteringly hot skin made her feel even more flushed. 

"S-sorry, Naruto," she apologized, trying for a smile. 

Those beautiful sapphire eyes were full of concern, and he didn't let go of her. "It's alright, Hinata-chan. Let's get you back to the table. I think you need a breather."

_ No shit,  _ she wanted to say, but instead let him lead her to the table, where Tenten appeared to be sitting sideways. Hinata had never seen Tenten so drunk, and even as she was recuperating from her near-fall, she felt intense concern for Tenten's blood alcohol content. 

"Hell yeah!" Tenten crowed as she caught sight of Naruto and Hinata. "Do it for  _ all  _ of us, Hina-chan! Fuck yeah, I'm going to dance!"

"Tenten— " Neji began, worry creasing his features, but Tenten just put her bird finger up high and slurred something over her shoulder that sounded suspiciously like "Catch me if you can."

Neji cursed and rose to follow her, and Hinata smiled softly. Her cousin had always had a soft spot for Konoha's Weapon Mistress, but what Tenten felt for Neji was deeper than just a soft spot. She'd always wondered how much of that deeper feeling Neji reciprocated, but he'd been a closed book since he'd come out of the womb. His equivalent of screaming his love from every rooftop in Konoha could very well be giving someone a pat on the back, and no one would be the wiser. Even so, something inside Hinata hoped the two of them would fall into place together tonight, but the chances of that were about as good as her being able to teach Naruto how to dance. 

That is to say, abysmal. 

"You know, Hinata, I really like your hair like that," Naruto said after studying her for a while. "The colors are all pretty and bright." 

"Thank you, Naruto-kun," she replied, taking a sip of her drink. 

"Which, I liked it before too," he added quickly, sporting his own blush. "It's pretty. Like you. I mean— you're pretty. In my opinion."

Hinata smiled, widely and with genuine happiness. 

_ Best. Night. Ever.  _

  
  


***

  
  
  


"You smell like a dog," Ino slurred after her fourth drink, clinging to the front of Kiba's jacket to keep steady. 

"Is that a bad thing?" His tone was teasing, but also somewhat suggestive. Four-drink Ino wasn't really sure what that was supposed to mean, but she leaned in closer anyways, because that's just what one does. 

"I don't think so," she replied, swaying a bit. "I wanna dance some more."

To be accurate, she wanted to feel her effect on Kiba some more— feeling his erection grind against her ass on the dancefloor was quite possibly her new favorite sensation. And, really, it was too early to give up and go home with him already. There was still too much time in the night to enjoy the chase, even if she was eager for some good dick, which she would be willing to bet Kiba had. 

"I think I'm a little too drunk to actually dance anymore," he chuckled, tracing a finger from her cheek, to her neck, down the plunging line of her dress. "I think I'd rather just fucking make out until you finally give up and let me take you home with me."

His touch sent shivers down Ino's spine, and suddenly, making out seemed like a really good idea. 

"Baka," she muttered, but yanked him forward by his jacket with drunken shinobi strength and kissed him for all she was worth. His hands went to her waist, and he backed them up until her back was pressed against a wall. 

"When did you learn how to kiss like this?" Ino breathed, wondering if she could've been kissed like this for a long time and she'd just been blind. 

"When you were making fun of me for being a virgin a few years ago, I was learning to kiss like this," he chuckled, nipping at her bottom lip. "And if you think this is nice, you should see what  _ else  _ I can do with my—  _ mph. _ "

Ino kissed him hard— if he had been allowed to finish that sentence, she probably would have fainted Hinata-style. 

_Damn, but I never pegged Kiba as one to be sexy like this, _she thought as his hands roamed her sides. _Peg… you know what,_ _I wonder if Kiba is into pegging… _

It was food for thought— a four-course meal's worth of food for thought. She'd bring it up later when she wanted a good dicking a little less. 

_ Wait, later? When did I decide I wanted to even see him again after tonight?  _

… and then all thoughts were washed from her head as Kiba slipped a hand under her dress and into her panties. 

"Hope you're still on board with this," he huffed a laugh into her ear. "It'd be a hell of a disappointment if I had to stop now."

"If you stop I'll fucking kill you," she snarled, and Kiba wasted no time in rubbing her  _ just so _ before he plunged two fingers inside her. 

"This is so hot," she gasped, watching the lights bounce around the club. "Public stuff isn't usually my kink, but damn if I don't want you to fuck me against this wall."

At that, Kiba pulled back, a goofy smile plastered across his face. "I cannot  _ believe  _ you just said that."

_ There's a whole lot of things you won't believe I'll say and do, but you'll find out soon enough.  _ "Well, at the risk of sounding Naruto-esque,  _ believe it _ ." After a pause, she added, "Will you, though?"

Kiba's face was the picture of confusion, and he stopped moving his fingers inside of her. "Will I what?"

"Fuck me against this wall."

"Right now?"

Ino was beginning to get frustrated. She smacked him in the head and wrapped a leg around his hip. 

"Yes, right now, baka!"

And oh, did Kiba respond to that. 

Before Ino knew what was happening, he'd hoisted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, all the while kissing her senseless. He was so strong, so very,  _ very  _ fit that he could support her weight with one arm under her bum so that he could undo his pants and free his erection. 

_ This is happening, this is really happening!  _ Inner Ino cheered as she felt the blunt head of Kiba's cock drag against her sex.  _ Eat that, Forehead, I'm having the kinkiest sex of my life! _

And not only was it kinky, it was  _ good _ . Kiba's kisses on her neck were sexy and sensual, and he didn't hold anything back— his free hand was alternating between her clit and her nipples and she was trying very hard not to scream. 

_ This is the best night of my life,  _ Inner Ino sang with joy.  _ And with Kiba-kun, no less— what a pleasant surprise! _


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long!!!! I had a lot of fun writing it, though, so there's that.

**_"All we ever wanted was to feel like this."_ **

  
  
  


Dancing with Sai was… different. 

For starters, he wasn't too keen on touching, so there was no grinding or much of anything else that Sakura had come to expect out of clubbing. Instead, he simply danced on his own in close proximity to her, and she did the same. It was actually kind of liberating, not having to be concerned over the sexual aspect of the evening, and she found herself smiling so widely that it was painful. And, fortunately for her, Operation Keep-Iruka-And-Kakashi-Away-From-Each-Other was a whole lot more fun to participate in than any other mission she'd ever had. 

There were, however, some close calls.

"Look, hurry!" Sakura exclaimed, nodding in Kakashi's direction. Shikamaru was motioning for them, and they came over to meet briefly. 

"Kakashi is drunk and _ really _wants to dance, and we can't stall him any longer," Shikamaru said slowly, looking back and forth between Sai and Sakura as though waiting for them to understand. "Iruka is also on the dancefloor, so that means—"

"We either move one or distract them both," Sakura finished, determination seeping into her demeanor. 

Shikamaru nodded. "Exactly."

"Leave it to us, and don't let Kakashi out of your sight."

"Roger."

And that's how Sai and Sakura found themselves low-key stalking Iruka-sensei for some of the night. Most attempts at drawing Iruka's attention away from Kakashi's direction were simple and successful, which was pretty great in Sakura's opinion… but then The Incident took place. 

Iruka was dancing in a grind line, squished between Kotetsu and Izumo, and Kakashi was wandering the dance floor, seemingly aimless, but he was cutting a path straight to Iruka_ . _ Sakura and Sai managed to notice before it was too late, but _ only just _so— in fact, in order to distract Kakashi from his current route, the only way Sakura was sure to get his attention was to make a complete and utter fool of herself. Or, at least, that's what her slightly tipsy brain told her. 

"Oh _ Sai _," she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. "I want you to fuck me like that guy in Icha Icha!" 

Sure enough, mentioning the book series did the trick of _ getting _ Kakashi's attention, but the hard part was _ keeping _that attention. (Un)fortunately, the liquor had a pretty good idea of how to do that as well. 

She pulled Sai to her by his hair and kissed him directly on the mouth. 

Sai, bless him, nearly choked, but, true to his ANBU background, he regained his composure rather quickly and kissed her back with equal fervor. As Sakura had predicted, Kakashi looked at them with a mix of intrigue and disgust, only looking away when someone (probably Shikamaru) waved him over. 

As soon as the threat was eliminated, Sakura sighed and let go of her poor teammate (who was a surprisingly damn good kisser). "Sorry about that," she laughed, blushing a bit. "Desperate times."

Sai had still not recovered from the moment. He was looking at her with an unreadable expression comprised of shining eyes, parted lips, and ever so slightly raised eyebrows. 

"Sakura, you're beautiful." 

Really, Sakura hadn't _ seen _ Sai drink anything all night, but that didn't mean it hadn't happened. He had to be drunk, tipsy, _ something _— hell, maybe even stark raving mad! He'd called Sakura ugly from the very start, and had even kept it up once they'd become tried and true friends. It was almost a term of endearment now, but it still stung a little every time Sakura heard it. Now, to hear him say that she was beautiful… it was hard to believe. 

"Ah, perhaps I should explain myself," he chuckled, taking in her bewildered expression. "You're still ugly."

Good-humored anger welled in her chest. _ Of course. _"Okay."

"But so is Ino."

That gave Sakura pause. "I don't think I've ever heard you say that, or heard her mention it."

"Well, that would be because after you broke my nose, I began to understand that I couldn't just go around telling women they're ugly," he laughed, his skin reflecting a brilliant blue color made by the strobe lights on his pale skin. "You've taught me much, Sakura, and that's one of the reasons why I think you're beautiful. Other reasons are because you're so independent and intuitive and loyal and kind. You're a healer and a giver, and you have everything that was trained out of me since I was a child, and yet you never once treated me any different than you would anyone else."

"Oh, Sai." Overwhelming sympathy for him washed over Sakura like cold water, and she pulled him into a hug. "Everyone deserves equal treatment, but you're a really special guy. You deserve all the loyalty and kindness and everything else I have to offer you."

"You're forgiving, too," he continued, pulling back from her embrace, and she could see those eyes that made it impossible for him to fake a smile. They said everything that was within his soul, and yet somehow, Sakura was the one that felt vulnerable. "You forgave Sasuke endlessly. Even now, you hold no grudge. I don't understand that. He never appreciated you, not for anything."

Sakura wanted to argue, but that was the exact reason that she'd left him. Instead, she nodded, looking down at the ground, but Sai cupped her cheek with a gloved hand. 

"Someone… I mean, even someone like me, given time, can see the light that shines in you," he smiled, eyes crinkling. "I have learned to truly love every part of you, right down to that garish pink hair. Now, it holds the same beauty as your namesake to me."

Damn. Sakura wished she was more sober. It would be really nice to be able to appreciate what she was being told without the buzz, just to see how nice it would feel. 

After all, all she had ever wanted was someone handsome and powerful to tell her that she was beautiful… and _ loved _!

"Can I come home with you tonight?" she asked, placing her hand over the one of his that rested on her cheek. 

"If you'd like." 

"I think I want to," she replied, allowing herself a small smile. "I think I'd also like to kiss you again."

"Whatever you'd like."

Sakura was unaccustomed to hearing those words. Her small smile turned to a big one, and Sai leaned in to kiss her with heart-stopping tenderness. All of a sudden, one word that he'd said cut through her drunkenness and pierced her heart— _ love. _

She didn't know if she could reciprocate the love that Sai had proclaimed— she didn't even know if Sai had meant it that way. Even if he _ had _ meant it romantically, Sasuke had kept Sakura's heart in tatters since they were genin… she wasn't sure she _ could _love that way anymore. Her heart could very possibly be too damaged to come back from the hell she'd put it through.

But damn if she really wanted to give Sai a try, especially since he was the best kisser she'd ever met. 

  
  


***

  
  


Tenten was over it, all of it. She'd had _ just about enough _of dancing around her desires, and now that she was plastered, it mattered even less what everyone else thought. She was going to dance and have a good time and fuck a stranger and wake up so sick she wished that she was dead— and no one could convince her otherwise. 

Well, of course, unless the other person happened to be the only member of her team other than herself that didn't wear green. 

"Tenten, where the hell are you?" She could hear Neji grumbling over the music, which was an impressive feat within itself, since the ground vibrated with the sound of the bass. 

Somewhere in her drunken brain, Tenten knew that Neji was all but yelling because he wanted to avoid using his Byakugan to find her. She always teased him about how it was basically cheating to have such a powerful kekkei genkai, but Neji often took her jibes to heart— a habit no doubt developed by many who grew up with the genetic Hyūga stick-up-the-ass. So, as a result, he often tried not to use the Byakugan where Tenten was concerned. It would almost have been a little sweet if that mentality had ever lasted longer than ten seconds of not getting what he wanted _ without _ using the Byakugan. In this specific instance, Tenten would give him _ five _seconds before he finally relented and used it to find her. 

One. 

Two.

Three.

"Byakugan!"

Ah, well. Tenten had been too generous, as was her wont when it came to Neji. Crucify her. 

In any case, it _ did _take him all of five seconds to actually appear at her side, and that's all it took for Tenten to get into a dancing mood. 

"Tenten, hey, is something wrong?" Neji asked, reaching out like he meant to touch her, but thought better of it and lowered his hand. 

"Wrong?" she laughed, rolling her body to the beat of the song. "Why would _ anything _ be wrong? I feel _ good, _Neji, so, so good!"

Those lilac eyes narrowed, but Tenten refused to feel pinned by them, even with the Byakugan activated. "You're lying. You've been acting funny all night and I'm worried about you."

"Me? Lying? Psh_ aw. _"

Frustration rippled off of Neji in waves, and he caught one of her wrists in his hand firmly. "Tenten, I'm serious. Tell me what's wrong with you."

She hoped the glare she gave him matched the fury in her chest. "Let go of me."

"Not until you tell me what's wrong."

Tenten really didn't feel like dealing with this. 

"Fuck off, Neji, it's not like you notice or care about me any other time."

Not only was that statement a lie, but its edge was serrated, meant to wound deeply and painfully. Neji had saved her life more times than she could count on her hands (and probably her toes), and she knew that he would lay down his life for her without thinking twice. She was speaking purely out of sexual frustration and jilted love, not out of any real complaint about Neji's friendship. That being said, Tenten had fully expected to see ruffled Hyūga pride, and maybe some righteous fury— that would have made the most sense. Instead, a violent hurt filled Neji's eyes, and even through the haze of drunkenness, Tenten felt immediate regret. 

"Neji, I— "

Something flashed in Neji's eyes at that, and _ then _came the ruffled Hyūga pride and the righteous fury. 

"Oh, I _ know _that did not just come out of your mouth."

Tenten flinched at Neji's tone. She was in for it now, she really was, and though she took a step back to distance herself from his anger, the Hyūga grabbed her firmly by the shoulders and transfixed her with the Byakugan as he spoke, preventing her from moving both physically and emotionally. 

"I just did like six shots with Kiba in the last hour," he told her, his hands painfully tight on her shoulders. "I fucking _ hate _ doing shots like that because they make me so sick the next day that I'm attached to a toilet and a trashcan for _ hours. _ Hours, Tenten. But do you know _ why _ I've done so many shots? _ Do you? _"

Tenten shook her head, wondering whether what she was feeling was fear or just really, _ really _ deep attraction. When Neji shook her once, firmly enough for her teeth to clack together, she decided it was both. 

"Because you walked into this club tonight looking _ so damn beautiful _ that you take my breath away, and I needed something to relax my body so that I wouldn't get a fucking _ leg cramp _trying to keep myself from lunging across the table and shoving my tongue down your throat!" 

Tenten was _ way _ too drunk to understand all of that, but her mind latched onto the words _ beautiful _ and _ tongue down your throat _, even as she watched a thousand different emotions flicker across Neji's face. 

"Why stop yourself?" 

Despite everything, Neji let out a huff of a laugh, releasing her shoulders. “Because you would most certainly have slapped me into the next world if I'd have kissed you like I wanted to in front of all our friends.”

Tenten considered that for a moment, then shrugged. Maybe so, maybe not— but there was no reason not to make up for lost time now. 

“I won’t slap you if you do it now,” she replied weakly, taking her eyes over her teammate. 

Neji laughed again, but this time with real mirth and an affectionate look. "It's no better of an idea on this side of the room than that," he replied, steadying her as she began to sway ever so slightly. 

Here he calls her beautiful, then refuses to kiss her. How the hell was that supposed to make any sense? Maybe if she had another drink, it would make more sense.

"I want another vodka cran." The demand was weak and tactless, and despite being rather tipsy himself, Neji was firm in his denial of it. 

"Nope, I'm cutting you off." He paused for a moment, considering, then added, "I think you should go home."

"I'm not going home, at least not alone," she replied stubbornly, crossing her arms. 

"I never said that."

_ Oh. _That was a new development. 

"I was planning to see you home, and probably stay since you need to be looked after by someone less drunk than you," he continued smoothly, his mouth tugging upwards into a grin. "Certainly, I wouldn't have _ minded _bringing you back to mine, but I figured you wouldn't exactly want to go back to the compound."

"I don't care where we go, as long as I'm with you."

Tenten was vaguely aware that she should have been putting her foot in her mouth over that statement, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why— especially not when Neji looked at her with such a brilliant smile. He looked so happy, so _ genuinely _ joyful— and he was smiling _ because of her. _It was an incredible feeling, knowing that she was the reason for his happiness. 

It was all she had ever wanted. 

"But wait," she said, grabbing Neji's arm as he turned to leave. "What about Iruka-sensei and the mission?"

Neji's grin broadened, if that was even possible. "Oh, it was a huge failure. Like five minutes ago, Kakashi caught sight of Iruka, started crying, and proposed again, having no idea that Iruka is actually already his lover. It was a real treat."

Well, in that case… 

"Lead the way, then, Hyūga-sama," Tenten slurred, throwing out an arm to loop through Neji's. 

"As you wish, Tenten-hime."

_Tenten-hime… _she mused, letting her Hyūga pull her along. _I could get used to this. _

  
  


***

  
  


There was only so red that a person could get before they turned an unattractive, borderline-unhealthy purple. 

This was the color Hinata's face was turning from laughing at her number one knuckle-headed ninja. He was currently trying to see how many spitballs he could spit into Shikamaru's hair before the shadow-user noticed, and the total so far was thirteen. It was evident that Nauto was enjoying himself, and Hinata was just happy to be a part of it. Every time Naruto would turn and look at her to see her reaction, her heart would leap in her chest just a little bit. 

After a while, though, even spitballing Shikamaru got old for Naruto. The nine-tails inside him made it impossible for him to get even a little tipsy, as it burned off the alcohol as fast as he could consume it, and Hinata could practically see the boredom building up inside him. She expected him to get distracted and wander off to somewhere other than the club, but she didn't think that he would want to go home just yet, and she certainly hadn't predicted that she would be invited along for the ride. 

Well, that would teach _ her _to make assumptions. 

"Hinata, why don't you come home with me?" Naruto asked her out of the blue, wearing his trademark grin. "You can teach me how to dance and we can have fun there just as good as we can here. The apartment's all cleaned up and everything!"

"I… uh… "

Hinata's brain was short circuiting. Was he asking her to go home with him platonically? Or was he implying something about dancing and sex? Was he really serious? It _ could _be a joke… She had never thought that Naruto could be cruel, but hanging out with Sasuke could do that to a person. 

"If you don't want to, that's okay, I just thought— "

"No, yeah, I'll come home with you!" Hinata replied a little too quickly. "I was just, uh, thinking. Sure, yeah."

Naruto _ beamed. _He seemed to emit a soft glow despite the dim lighting, and Hinata wondered if it was the nine-tails reacting to his emotions. 

"Awesome, let's leave now." He all but hopped from his chair and grabbed his jacket from the back of it so fast that he nearly knocked it over. Hinata couldn't contain her giggle, and he somehow managed to look both embarrassed and rather pleased at the same time. 

As they walked out of the club, Hinata noticed that the night air had gotten more cool than it had been earlier in the evening, and she shivered a bit as she walked alongside Naruto. She wondered if she could feel his warmth if she inched a little closer to him— Naruto's body was always emitting some amount of heat, no doubt given off by Kurama. Hinata liked to imagine that he'd be warm, like a fireplace, but she didn't dare draw any closer to him for fear that her brilliant luck would run out. 

However, as fate would have it, luck proved itself still in her favor, because Naruto noticed her shiver, and draped his jacket over her without a word. 

_ It's so warm, _ she marveled as she stuck her arms through the sleeves. _ And it smells like ramen. _

"You know, I didn't think so at first, but orange actually does look pretty good on you," Naruto commented, lazily sticking his hands behind his head. His sapphire eyes sparkled like dew, and he winked. 

There he went again, complimenting Hinata like it was the easiest thing in the world. It was almost surreal. All Hinata had ever wanted out of life was to be noticed by him, and here he was, openly admitting to thinking about her in _ his _ color… it was almost too good to be true. Not to mention the fact that she was going _ home with him. _Like to his actual place. Alone. With him. 

It would be a miracle if she didn't pass out the moment she crossed the threshold. 

  
  


***

  
  


"Does it seem to you like we're doing things a little ass-backwards here?"

Actually, that thought _ had _occurred to Ino a couple times throughout the night, but it hardly seemed to matter— she had really been enjoying Kiba's company, much to her surprise. Maybe it was the post-coital high, or maybe it was the fact that her sexual frustration had been in the way of seeing the Inuzuka for what he was, but Kiba seemed completely different than he had been before. Here, on moonlit Konoha streets, he seemed every bit a handsome rogue ready to steal her away to enjoy the pleasures of the night. 

(Well, it could hardly be considered stealing since Ino had agreed to come willingly to the Inuzuka compound, and they'd already had round one of nightly pleasures, but it was the principle of the thing.)

"Yeah, I guess," she replied, pressing into his side a little for warmth. "I don't mind it though."

"That's good then," Kiba grinned. "I hope you don't mind, but Akamaru is an inside dog."

Ino shrugged. She wasn't sure if she minded or not, but it wasn't exactly up for debate. If there was one thing you didn't do to an Inuzuka, it was tell them how to handle their mutts— e_ specially _ this Inuzuka. Kiba was fiercely protective of Akamaru, and Ino didn't doubt that _ she _would be turned out on the street before Akamaru would. 

The rest of the walk to the compound was comfortably silent. Kiba's company remained easy and light— Ino felt no pressure to force a conversation or fish for compliments. It was strangely satisfying in a way that she'd never considered before, and it woke a longing inside of her that she'd thought long dead. 

Ino wanted to be loved. She wanted to be seen and loved and cherished for who she was, not who she put herself forth to be. She'd repressed that desire in this village full of alpha males that took and gave nothing back— she had to, in order to spare her heart and still make use of her youth— but it all came back down to crash over her like a freezing tidal wave… 

And when she looked at Kiba, it was hard not to wonder if he could be exactly what she needed. 

With unanswered questions swimming around in her head, Ino was welcomed into Kiba's home, and she sat her handbag on his kitchen counter, feeling quite out of her orbit. Was she supposed to start kissing him again? That didn't really feel like the right thing to do. Maybe she needed to go to the bathroom to think for a minute about what to do. Ino was finding it increasingly difficult to know what to do concerning this version of Kiba. 

Unfortunately, Ino didn't get a chance to act on any of those ideas before Akamaru barked in greeting, then bounded up to Kiba to nuzzle into his owner's jacket, asking to be petted. Ino laughed when Akamaru licked Kiba's face lovingly, and something about the sight felt like home. 

"So, are you gonna be here for a while?" Kiba asked from the floor where he was kneeling to play with his nindog. "I'm not really sure what our plans were supposed to be, but if you're wanting to settle in for a while, I've got something you can change into so you don't get dog hair all over your fancy clothes."

"That would be nice, actually," Ino replied, tugging at her dress uncomfortably. She wasn't sure what their plans were either, but figuring that out in something more comfortable than party clothes was beginning to sound like a really good idea. 

Kiba grinned. "I figured. Come on, Akamaru, let's find the lady a t-shirt."

When Kiba reemerged from the hallway that no doubt led to his bedroom, it was with a pair of navy joggers and a graphic t-shirt that had the logo of some band across the front in his hands. Their fingers brushed as he handed the clothes to her and pointed out the bathroom, and Ino scurried away as though she'd been bitten, leaving a concerned Kiba in her wake.

_ Get it together, Yamanaka! _ Ino scolded herself as she stripped out of her dress. _ He's a human, you can talk to him like you have a brain in your head. _

But he was also a _ male _human. Not that it had made much of a difference in the past— Ino was quite a talented flirt— but for whatever reason, Kiba just made her feel constantly wrong-footed. Unlike everyone else she'd hooked up with, he seemed to have no expectations from her, and he seemed content to let her take whatever direction she chose. As a ninja, she'd been trained to look underneath the underneath, but underneath everything, he just seemed… genuine. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced before, and it left her feeling simultaneously uneasy and just a little hopeful. In a streak of boldness, she took a damp cloth and wiped off a layer or two of makeup in an attempt to look more like herself despite her new haircut and dyed tips, and she was ready to step out into the tornado of hormones that was no doubt waiting for her beyond the bathroom door. 

And, of course, Kiba stunned her once more with another unexpected oddity. 

As if her feelings weren't jumbled enough with her tipsiness and the things Kiba's presence did to her, she walked out of the bathroom to find Kiba looking up from Akamaru and into her eyes with the most strange expression on his face. It was somewhere between affection and sadness, and he padded over to stand in front of her, cupping her face with his strong, calloused hands. 

"You are _ beautiful _, Yamanaka Ino." His voice was full of something akin to reverence, and he kissed her forehead with an unprecedented tenderness. A warmth spread through Ino's chest and into her veins, and her whole body seemed to tingle. As those warm brown eyes started into her own, so open and honest, a realization slapped the kunoichi right across the face. 

_ All I have ever wanted is to feel like this. _

"Thank you," she murmured in response, because there was nothing else she could say. 

Kiba snorted, and just like that, the spell was broken. "Don't thank me, thank your mom and dad for their fantastic genetics. You wanna put on a movie or something? I don't really entertain a lot, but I do have popcorn and soda."

"Sounds okay with me." Ino's smile came easily, and Akamaru's tail wagged as she scratched his ear. "What kind of movies do you have?"

Sheepishly, Kiba scratched the back of his head. "Well, I probably don't have a whole lot of movies that you'd like but… we can try The Princess Bride?"

Ino shrugged. "I've never heard of it. Sounds cheesy, but I'll give it a chance."

_ "What?" _

Ino would have thought someone would have shot Kiba in the face judging by his reaction. 

"What do you mean, what?" she demanded, crossing her arms and wishing she could will away the blush she felt creeping onto her cheeks. 

"You haven't seen The Princess Bride? Like for real?" Kiba was gawking at her, incredulous.

"No?"

"It's like the best movie ever! Come on, we're watching it _ right now. _"

"Arf!" Akamaru agreed, and took off after his owner, who was half-jogging to the living room.

_ What am I getting myself into? _ Ino wondered, amused at how much Kiba really _ did _act like a puppy. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to let me know what you enjoyed and what you want to see more of!!!! The next chapter is prolly smut smut smut tbh.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would have had this written like two days earlier, but I had the worst breakup of my life so I didn't feel like writing. I hope yall enjoy!!!

** _"I'm melting in your arms,_ **

** _Let's take this way too far."_ **

  
  


The lines between should and shouldn't were beginning to blur for Sakura. They'd been making out on Sai's couch for quite a while now, and yet neither of them made a move to take it further despite the hardness pressed against her as she straddled her teammate. Part of her wanted to fling herself out of the nearest window— it screamed  _ traitor _ and  _ whore  _ at her incessantly— while another part of her wanted nothing more than to take Sai's pants off and suck him dry. It was a very confusing situation, one that Sakura wasn't sure how to handle. Ironically, the one of them that had been  brain-washed trained to repress all emotion had the clearest head about the whole situation. 

"Sakura." Sai's voice was all warmth and gentility.

"Yes?"

"What do you want?"

His eyes were as black and as deep as midnight, and Sakura found that she couldn't lie to him— not here, not like this. 

"I don't know," she admitted, threading a hand through his hair. 

Despite everything, Sai chuckled and leaned into her touch. "Do you want to know what I think?"

"Sure," she replied, shifting her weight further back so that she wasn't sitting quite so on top of him in order to be able to concentrate a little better. 

"I think that you aren't used to being asked what you want," he told her simply as his hands reached around to squeeze her behind. "In fact, I don't think you were ever really left a choice, now you don't know how to make one." 

The more Sakura thought about it, the more his words rang true— Sakura had always been the one to give in to Sasuke, had always been the one to bow in the face of his anger. She put aside everything for Sasuke, all the time, and she was always attentive to his needs and wants, spoken or unspoken. She couldn't remember a time when Sasuke had been concerned with her needs, much less her wants, and the thought of everyone else seeing when she was blind to it made it all the more disgusting to her. 

But Sai wasn't finished yet. "Often, however, our bodies know what we want more than we do— and, Sakura, your body is speaking to you quite clearly."

With that, he slipped a hand up her skirt, touched the dampness of her sex, and pulled away his fingers for her to see as Sakura shivered from his touch. This was going way too far, but she couldn't bring herself to care. It was too much and just enough all at once, and she felt as though she were drowning and yet somehow breathing for the first time. 

"You can always say no, but I'm offering you a chance to take what  _ you  _ want for once," he continued, licking his fingers clean like it wasn't  _ the  _ hottest thing he could possibly have done. "I don't have any expectations from you— if you want what I have to offer, then you do. If you don't want to bring any feelings into it, well, that's my area of expertise." He cracked a sly grin at that. "All I want is to make you happy. The choice is yours— either way, I'll still be your friend in the morning."

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. A relationship… on  _ her  _ terms. It was almost too good to be true. She could have sex tonight if she'd like without damaging any of her future, and if she wanted to, she could have like a real,  _ actual  _ relationship with someone who was proving himself to be endlessly patient and  _ so very  _ sexy. No matter what, she would come out no worse than before, and it all sort of fell into place in her mind. 

"Sai, have you ever had a blowjob?"

For all his usual stoicism, Sai's face conveyed pure shock. Sakura couldn't help but laugh at his helplessly scandalized expression, and she patted his cheek in teasingly. 

"I'll take that as a no," she giggled, and moved from his lap to kneel on the floor between his legs. "I'm not sure why you look so surprised— it's not like it's a topic we haven't covered before. We've talked about you having mission sex plently of times."

"Different," Sai grunted as she freed his dick from the confines of his pants. "Way different." 

Sakura intended to show him just  _ how  _ different what she could do was from mission sex. She ran a fingertip from the base to the tip of Sai, delighting in the little hiss he gave at her touch, and then she swallowed him down in one go, despite the aching of her jaw. In turns, she licked and sucked and fondled his balls, and just when Sai was about to rip the cushions off the couch with the strength of his grip, she pulled off of him with a pop and began to slide off her skirt. 

"Are you going to show me where your bedroom is, or are you going to make me get naked here in the living room?" she asked, smirking. 

In a flash— a literal flash, caused by the body-flicker jutsu Sai used— they were in Sai's bedroom, and Sakura found herself beneath him with his cock pressed to her entrance. Slowly, he pressed into her, and she could feel the stretch of every inch of him as he bottomed out. Then he withdrew and pushed back in, setting a pace that was neither slow nor fast, but deep and jarring and  _ perfect.  _ He rolled one of her nipples between his fingers as he fucked her, and as they kissed, Sakura felt more alive than she had in ages. 

"Fuck yes," she moaned against his mouth. "Feels so fucking good."

Sai grunted in agreement, and picked up his pace. Every thrust was sending sparks through Sakura's body, and as he rubbed her clit, she knew that she wasn't far from her orgasm.

"I'm close," Sai told her as his thrusts became more erratic, and Sakura was too lost to her own climax to respond. At the last second, Sai pulled out and spilled over her belly, and they stayed like that for a while, Sai looking over her and Sakura gazing up into his coal-black eyes. It was a joltingly intimate moment, and Sakura never wanted it to end. 

"Damn," Sai articulated, and Sakura found herself laughing so hard she nearly choked. 

"Something funny, Ugly?" he quipped, flicking her nipple, and she replied with a cheeky kiss that turned messy and sensual rather quickly, and the moment that their lips came in contact, Sakura had a moment of clarity in the midst of her afterglow. 

She wanted to give this a shot, a real shot. Yes it was probably too soon, too fast, too much, too far, but fuck it— Sakura had lived in hell since she and Sasuke got together, and there was absolutely no way this could be a worse idea than being with Sasuke had been. She liked to live on the edge anyway. Defying odds and making miracles were kind of her thing.

"Sai?" she murmured, interrupting their kissing.

"Yes, Sakura?" Sai looked oddly expectant.

"Thank you."

The smile Sai gave her was soul-searingly genuine. "You're welcome."

  
  


***

  
  


"Can I sit on your face?"

Neji was fighting the urge to outright laugh at Tenten, which was the absolute  _ last  _ reaction she'd wanted to elicit from him. 

"I don't know," he teased, poking her in the side. "Can you stay upright if I let you try?"

That was an excellent question. She would certainly try, but they were supine on her bed, and her mattress was so soft that it would make even a sober person a bit wobbly. Before she could express that concern, however, Neji kept talking. 

"Not to mention that I'm a little too drunk to be certain that I could catch you if you fell, or hold you up for balance," he mused, turning his head to look at her. "Wouldn't want my Tenten-hime getting banged up."

"Unless it's you that's doing the banging."

"Unless it's me that's doing the banging," he agreed. 

As wonderful as this was, being able to talk to Neji and lay next to him, Tenten wasn't exactly sure that she didn't feel awkward. She loved Neji— was  _ in  _ love with him— but he hadn't expressed any such sentiment towards her. Naturally, she wanted to have sex with him, but she wanted it to be because he loved her, not to fulfill some primal want. That had never been a condition for her sexual attraction, but now that the circumstance presented itself, she didn't want to have sex with Neji at all if it didn't mean anything in the morning. 

Out of the blue, Neji chuckled, drawing her out of her thoughts. "Tenten, you're thinking too loud."

"I'm sorry." She didn't know how to think more quietly, but she would try if it was bothering him. 

"Don't apologize. I love that about you. I love  _ everything  _ about you. Hell, Tenten, I love  _ you. _ Infinitely."

_ Wow. _

Tenten must have been a saint in a past life, because this was happiness beyond belief. 

"I love you too," she giggled, and she couldn't resist the urge to grab her Hyūga by both sides of his face and kiss him silly. Silly, however, turned to sultry, and sultry to straight up seductive, and before Tenten could figure out whose limbs belonged to whom, Neji was straddling her as his tongue was exploring her mouth. 

"Oh, my Tenten-hime… I want to do so many things to you that I can't," he groaned, cupping her cheek with his hand. 

"Well, why can't you, Hyūga-sama?" Her question was both teasing and serious— they were consenting adults who loved each other. What more was there to wait for? 

"Because if I say yes to this, I'll never say no to you again, and it terrifies me," he admitted, planting kisses along her neck that sent sparks of pleasure up her spine. "I would forsake my family for you. I would do anything. I would  _ become a missing-nin for you _ ."

"That's crazy talk, Nej," she laughed, a little hysterical. He was talking so far above her head when his hands were wandering and his mouth was hot and wet and  _ warm _ — she knew this was somehow crossing some line, going too far, but her protests were weak and she  _ knew  _ it.

"I  _ am _ crazy," Neji chuckled lowly, his voice velvety and sweet. "Crazy about  _ you. _ " 

"Then why don't we do something  _ crazy  _ like have youthful, passionate sex on my bed?"

Neji growled, grabbing at Tenten's breast and  _ squeezing,  _ and she could practically feel his control slipping. "Tenten… "

"Trust me," she urged, arching up into his touch. "You say you love me? Show me."

That was all it took to snap his control. The bothersome clothing that kept them apart was promptly ripped away by Neji's inhuman strength, and he lined himself up with her and pushed inside in one fluid motion. 

_ "Oh Neji,"  _ she moaned, struggling to adjust even as Neji was pounding into her. 

"Yes, say my name, just like that," he grunted, placing a hand at her throat as if to ask for permission. In response, Tenten took her hand and used it to force his hand downward, increasing the pressure on her throat even as she whined his name. How he knew she liked it rough, she had no clue, but she was absolutely loving it. This was every filthy fantasy she'd ever dreamed, and there was nothing she would trade it for. 

"I love you." Neji's voice was half a sob, half a growl. "I  _ love  _ you Tenten."

"I love you too, Neji— "

"I always have and I always will and I can't stand the thought of you with anyone else—" 

"Yes, yes,  _ yes _ !"

Her neighbors were going to seriously hate her in the morning but it was  _ so  _ worth it— especially when Neji adjusted his angle and she all but screamed. 

"That's it baby, cum for me," he panted, rubbing at her clit in just the right way, and then she was lost to her pleasure. Neji followed quickly, and knowing that Tsunade had taken care of any possibility of accidental child-making after an awkward mission (what happens in the Land of Tea stays in the Land of Tea), he spilled himself inside her. It was perfect, completely perfect. 

"I love you, Hyūga Neji," she laughed as he all but collapsed on top of her. "It feels so good to finally say it."

"You had best get used to saying it," he chuckled. "I'm going to marry you."

"Oh come on, Nej, how can you know that?"

"Because I'm a _fucking_ _Hyūga _that's how," he mumbled, snorting as Tenten pushed him off of her to snuggle up on his chest. "My family has stolen my happiness from the very start— they don't get to decide who I love. They should love you, but even if they don't approve, I stand by you. Besides, I have a fucking curse on my head, what more can they do to me?"

Tenten's heart sank at that. She hated that curse mark with all of her being, and yet she was powerless in the face of it. "They can kill you with it," she spat bitterly. 

"A life without you is no life at all." His expression was all but carved marble. "I would gladly die just for a chance at an honest life with you."

"But I would have you live first."

Neji barked a laugh at that. "Well then, Tenten-hime, I can hardly refuse you. I shall live, then."

"Much obliged, Hyūga-sama," she giggled, and Neji kissed her forehead like she was the most precious thing in the world. 

They stayed like that for a long time, holding one another as close as they could. It was a beautiful moment, and Tenten thought there was nothing better in the world until she was almost asleep, and she heard Neji whisper gently against her hair. 

"We'll make it, my love. We can and we will."

She slept better that night than she'd ever slept— Neji would find a way, she was sure. That damn Hyūga genius paired with a tenacity that was entirely Neji's would yield an answer to any problem they might face. She had faith in that. 

And so, all was well.

  
  


***

  
  


Hinata was beginning to be very confused as to what, exactly, she was supposed to be doing at Naruto's apartment in the first place. 

"And  _ this  _ one I got from falling out of a tree, and this one was from the time Sasuke bit me, and  _ this  _ one, oh man… "

She had really thought that when Naruto took his shirt off because of some stains, she would get to do more than just look and learn where all his scars came from. Not that it wasn't wonderful, but she was aching to get her hands on those abs, and maybe her tongue too. She wanted to kiss him, touch him, love him— she wanted it all. But Naruto seemed absolutely oblivious to all of that and was prattling on about some chidori or other. 

"Naruto-kun."

"... came from the time Kakashi's kunai came a  _ little  _ too close— "

_ "Naruto."  _

"Uhh… huh?"

Oh, he was so damn cute. His eyes were wide and beautiful, and he looked like a dumbstruck angel, staring at her in confusion. 

"N-naruto, I need… I need to know something." Of course, her courage would start to waver now that she tried to put words with it— nevertheless, she persevered. "Why am I here, Naruto?"

"Well, erm, I guess because I invited you," he replied, cringing. Hinata wasn't sure what  _ that  _ was supposed to mean, but she couldn't dwell on it. 

"A-and why did you invite me over?"

"Because I wanted to." Naruto seemed more sure of this answer, but it wasn't what Hinata was looking for. All at once, she felt a strength like no other surge through her, along with frustration and anger and pent-up sexual longing, and the words just spilled out of her mouth and into the empty air. 

"By Tsunade's tits, Naruto, just  _ fucking kiss me _ !"

Thankfully, he didn't need to be told twice. 

Naruto's mouth was soft despite his chapped lips, and Hinata was  _ determined  _ not to faint. After a few swipes of his tongue, however, he pulled away with a Cheshire cat grin. 

"Now, that was awesome, but you  _ gotta _ tell me where that came from because I think I'm in love."

In… love?

Nope, she didn't have time to think about that. 

"I wanted you to kiss me all night. In fact, I've wanted you to kiss me since the day we started at the Academy together."

His sapphire eyes widened almost comically, and she had to smile. 

_ You're doing so good!  _ Hinata's inner Ino praised her.  _ Stick to the truth, but not too much. You can't use the "L"-word. _

"I have very strong feelings for you— I always have— and tonight I thought… well, I thought that you wanted me to come home with you because you wanted to have sex with me."

"Oh my God, I'm such an idiot." The emotion in Naruto's voice was indecipherable. In fact, it seemed to be a little bit of every emotion all at once. Hinata didn't know what to make of that either, but it didn't seem a night for knowing, but instead for doing. 

"You're not an idiot," she smiled gently, cupping his cheek. "You're just oblivious."

"Not to see a beautiful woman in front of me, waiting for me to get off my ass and make a move?" He took her hand in his own, moving it gently so that he held that one lily-white hand in both of his leather-tan ones. "Yeah, I'd have to be an  _ idiot _ ." 

Beautiful? Hinata? Maybe he  _ was  _ an idiot (or maybe just blind), but she couldn't stand to see that pitiful look on his face for one more second. This was very close to becoming an unsexy situation, and that was  _ not  _ what she had dyed her hair and drank so much for. 

"I won't a-argue with you about it, but do you want to kiss me again, or-or should— should I leave?"

That seemed to do the trick— Naruto popped right up and recaptured her lips, delving exploring, learning. His hands stayed respectfully at her waist, pulling her closer as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Hinata laughed as she realized that he tasted like the last fruity drink he'd had, and Naruto nipped at her lip in return, which sent a terribly wonderful thrill down her spine, and she wanted more. With unprecedented boldness, she grabbed one of his hands and put it on her chest, urging him to be more handsy. Naruto obliged, going so far as to slip his hand under her shirt and tease at her nipple. 

"This is incredible," he chuckled, echoing her thoughts. Hinata only nodded— she could hardly form words when he began kissing her neck and continuing to explore her body in more, ah,  _ intimate  _ places. 

A rough, calloused hand made its way into her shorts and drug across her sex, slipping one long finger inside of her. She let out a quiet whimper as he began to move, slowly going in and out until he put in a second finger, and finally a third, upping his pace with each finger until Hinata was panting with pleasure. 

"N-Naruto, please," she whimpered, tugging at his belt loops. "Please, I need you inside me."

Hinata had been a princess her entire life, but  _ never  _ had she ever had more prompt responses to requests than Naruto provided her with. In record time, their clothes were strewn about the room, and Naruto lifted her so that her legs were wrapped around him and— 

Promptly flopped backwards onto his bed.

Hinata's face must have clearly showed her confusion, because Naruto laughed and explained himself. "Sometimes I don't know my own strength, I don't want you to be hurt, so I figure the best way to make sure everyone gets what they want is for you to take charge. Is that okay?"

Oh, it was more than okay. It was  _ fantastic.  _ The mere fact that Hinata was about to have sex with someone so powerful that they had to be  _ concerned  _ about sex was arousing enough, but to add in the fact that he was worried about hurting her so he let her take her own pleasure? That was incredibly sweet and kind and wonderful. In response to his question, she took his length in hand, stroked it a few times, then lined herself up with him and lowered herself. 

Oh, he was so  _ big _ — she felt so full that she could hardly feel anything but him inside of her. Dutifully, she raised herself and then lowered, again and again, fucking herself on him like she'd done it a thousand times before. All the while, he rubbed circles on her clit with his thumb and thrusted up to meet her.

"God, Hinata, you're so beautiful," he told her, looking up at her in what could only be described as adoration. "Look at you, riding me so well, you're such a good girl."

Hinata flushed red at the praise, and found herself moaning because of it. Had she always had such a penchant for praise? It didn't matter, she never wanted him to stop.

"Fuck, look at those gorgeous tits," he groaned, thumbing over a nipple as they bounced with her motion. "So round and perfect."

It went on like that for quite a while, Naruto picking a body part to praise as she rode him. She came twice riding him, and then he flipped their positions and took her on her hands and knees, giving her a break while also urging him to his orgasm. No doubt his stamina came from the nine-tails, but Hinata didn't care— it was  _ perfect  _ and she was chasing orgasm number three, even if she wasn't sure it was entirely possible. 

_ This is going way too far, there's no coming back from this,  _ she thought as he sucked a hickey onto her neck, spilling inside her.  _ He has ruined sex with anyone else for me for the rest of my life.  _

  
  


***

  
  


Ino was laughing so hard she thought she might choke. 

"I'm not a witch, I'm your  _ wife _ ," she wheezed, quoting along with the movie. "And after what you just said, I'm not even sure I want be  _ that  _ anymore!"

This was their third time through The Princess Bride, and the more they watched it, the funnier it became. Kiba was laughing, but his eyes had been on Ino for most of the night, and the attention made her even more giddy than the movie did. Her sides were going to be sore from laughing so much, but she had absolutely no regrets. 

"Ino, I really like you."

Those words hit Ino like a ton of bricks. All of a sudden, she felt less like laughing and more like puking, but Kiba's smile never faltered. She didn't know where this was going, but she didn't like the sound of it. It sounded like feelings. She wasn't ready for feelings, she didn't know if she would  _ ever  _ be ready for feelings. She was Yamanaka Ino, 'love-em-and-leave-em' was her middle name! 

Before she could put a stop to it, though, Kiba continued, oblivious to her turmoil. 

"I always have liked you. You're sweet and spunky and sexy and so much more than everyone sees if they take you at face value," he told her, scratching Akamaru's ear. "I would really like to take you on a date sometime, if you're up for it."

"I don't do dates," she said before she could actually think about her words. Now, with no choice but to offer an explanation, she continued on, hoping she wouldn't wound Kiba too badly. "I'm not ready to settle down and commit just yet."

Kiba snorted, and Ino wasn't sure what was so funny. "Of course not. I'm not asking you to. I'm asking if I can see you, take you to the movies maybe, cook dinner for you on the weekends. I just want to spend time with you and get to know you better. If you want to go buck-ass wild and fuck everyone in the village, that's your prerogative, but I just want to enjoy your company whenever I can get it."

Ino was speechless. Kiba wasn't making any sense. Every shinobi in the village wanted  _ commitment  _ in a relationship— they'd be out of their mind not to! Life was so short for ninjas that it simply wouldn't do to have a partner that wasn't exclusive, and yet here Kiba was, offering her both her freedom and the comfort and stability of a real relationship. It was a dream come true!

"Kiba, I— "

He held a hand up, stopping her. "Just chew on it, Ino-chan."

"I don't have to," she replied, breaking into a grin. "I'll give you a shot, Kiba. You're… not what I expected, but in the best way possible."

"Oh?" he chuckled. "How so?"

"You're… you're different from everyone else," she told him, chewing on her lip. Words weren't enough to describe what she was feeling, but she had to try. "You don't want to cage me and… it makes me want to reconsider everything I've ever thought about relationships. Who knows, maybe it'll become something that I  _ want _ to commit to, and— I don't know, I just think maybe this will be a good thing."

"It's a deal then," he laughed, elbowing her playfully. "Do I get a kiss to finalize?"

Instead of answering, she kissed him so hard they both fell sideways, and she melted in his arms when he kissed back with equal force. 

_ What a hell of a night,  _ she giggled to herself, snuggling into Kiba's chest as Wesley was tortured on screen.  _ I hope the rest of the girls are as lucky as me! _  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If yall want I'll do another lil cute bonus chapter? Maybe with kakairu being cute and dumb? Or an epilogue for our badass queen kunoichi? Feel free to throw out suggestions to me in the comments!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A HUGE thank you to Rando29 for giving me the inspiration for this chapter!!! I got so excited that I kind of sort of accidentally wrote it all today... oops. Enjoy!!!
> 
> (Cant get the link to cooperate with me, so this is the link to their page https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rando29/pseuds/Rando29 )

Six months later, and it was time for the girls' weekly brunch… only this brunch was very, very special. It was the brunch before the day of Yamanaka Ino's wedding. 

Yes, that was written correctly— _ wedding. _

"Are you nervous?" Tenten inquired behind an excited smile. "I know I was the day before my wedding."

This was true— Tenten had cried big, ugly tears, thrown up, and made passionate speeches about murdering her in-laws, who had accepted the match without too much of a fuss, but were all secretly jealous of the fact that Neji was perfect and unproblematic and had a hot bride that he actually _ liked. _ Thankfully, when Tenten had started sobbing at the thought of her children having that damn Hyūga pride, Sakura mercifully knocked her out cold, and she woke up the next morning fine and dandy. 

"I mean, not really," Ino replied evenly, but the shaking of her hand as she raised her tea to drink said otherwise. "Kiba is really chill about it, so there's no reason for me to freak out either. After all, I have the best bridesmaids ever, all the money I need, and everything planned perfectly."

Sakura snorted, seeing through Ino as though she were made of cellophane. "Liar. You've got the jitters."

"Do not!"

"Just because you don't faint like Hinata doesn't mean that you aren't totally freaking out," Sakura replied haughtily, crossing her arms. 

To her credit, Hinata only laughed, bringing up her left hand to flash the giant diamond placed there by Naruto, who had just taken the hat of Hokage two weeks before he'd proposed. Ino simmered as the rest of the girls giggled too, and Hinata placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

"It's going to be alright," she told Ino in an effort to soothe her hurt pride. "Kiba-kun loves you more than anything else in the world, and even if you decide at the last minute that you don't want to be married just yet, he will absolutely be okay with that."

Ino knew that, but it didn't make anything easier. 

"Did you and Sai ever find an apartment?" Ino asked Sakura, changing the subject. The two of them hadn't announced their relationship yet, but they were intensely focused and devoted to one another, and were looking for a place to live together. 

"Sai decided that I'm too picky for my own good, so we're going to pay Yamato to make us something," she laughed, and no one was surprised. Sakura always had been a perfectionist. 

"Maybe you guys will start a clan," Tenten teased. "You and I were the only two clanless brats out of the group, but since I've married Neji, that leaves you the odd man out."

Ino snorted. "I can hear it now— the infamous Haruno clan, renowned for their super strength and exceptionally life-like graffiti."

"And their pink hair!" Hinata added, tugging a lock of Sakura's hair. 

"It's a recessive gene," Sakura groaned, and they all laughed, their happiness giving the cafe they frequented an almost-magical sort of glow. 

All four kunoichi— Hinata, Sakura, Ino, and Tenten— had finally found their happily ever after. They had to fight hard to get to where they were, and their status as shinobi made their lives difficult and hectic, but they would have it no other way. Each of them finally had everything they had ever wanted, and it was just as wonderful as they had dreamed. 


End file.
